ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · content · mug · date · pitcher · game · tube · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. content — happy
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — a container
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mug — a face
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. content — the amount
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. date — the fruit
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com